One More Pose
by westkitsune
Summary: The four work as image models and Ken got tricked and got himself into trouble. Will Ran be able to help Ken before it's too late?
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimers:

WK: Oh this is so painful to say! I- I do- I do-do...

Ken: -sigh- westkitsune doesn't own me or Aya or Weiss for that matter.

Ran: Hn

WK: oof that hurts, well, as Ken says unfortunately I do not... – sob – but I am, ofcourse with the power bestowed upon me by my mighty Microsoft Word and allowed to play with these two characters to my heart's content, so, um, this is my first Weiss fic so go easy ok? – glomps all who will review – I'm beginning to think they might end up OOC –cringes - This is a little dedication to –Atsureki- who inspired me to write a Ran x Ken fic -practically worships-. I'm planning to make a short fic but who knows what'll happen? Heh, heh, Wai my works have such poor tenses, I know I suck at it...

One More Pose

"Ok one more shot and this'll be a wrap!"

Tanned hand reached up to shield his face as deep brown eyes squinted through the flashing brightness of several bulbs aimed at him. The brunette sighed, feeling tiredness threaten to engulf him. His back was having cramps from being immobile in one position waiting for two photographers to finish after a gazillion shots of him, add in the fact that he was in an air-conditioned room wearing shorts for this sports magazine is not helping at all. Now more than anything he wished he was just curled up in his comfortable bed.

"You alright there Kenken?" Youji snickered from the far corner of the room. Green eyes watched him with amusement as the blonde approached him. "Don't worry Aya's going through just the same torture on the next studio."

"So I believe you're done already?" Ken asked with a hint of jealousy in his voice as one of the photographers shifted his position to lean against the wall, which he was thankful for since he was already having a sore ass. The photographer then proceeded to strategize how Ken would hold the soccer ball.

"Ah well the photographers seemed to love me, didn't have that much of a problem" He smirked "Well in all honesty I'm not surprised Aya had many clients, he's been posing for hours now and there's still a lot of requests."

Ken sighed. "Ok smile!" The photographer commanded and Ken put on his most charming smile that was already looking like a smirk because his of his jaw that was beginning to betray him. "Alright, all done now, that's a wrap for today you guys!" He clicked his camera shut and the blinding lights were shut off, leaving a dazed brunette still sitting on the monochromatic green background studio. One by one the staff and crew praised ken for a great job and left, talking to themselves about where to eat dinner. Ken sighed, feeling his own stomach rumbling.

Youji grinned as Ken gave him a pleading look to be helped. Reaching out he pulled the brunette to his feet. Ken swayed a little, trying to keep his balance. Finally standing upright after grueling hours he stretched his arms as Youji headed for the exit.

"I'll leave you to change, I promised Omi I'll meet up with him at the lobby. He wasn't able to go through much longer immobility than I thought so the poor boy's got a huge cramp on his legs and the great Youji's stuck to tend to him." He snickered, and Ken had this sinking feeling Youji doesn't seem to get bothered about it... in fact the blonde has this, how will you call it, eagerness in his eyes. He gave one final wink at Ken, "I suggest you go with Aya, I have this feeling he might be blowing the heads off those photographers if they make him pose for one more time"

Ken simply nodded, "Sure" as Youji disappeared out to the corridor. He sighed, practically tearing off his shorts and pulling on black pants, placing the shorts back inside his duffel bag. One of the advantages of posing as image model was that you get free clothes every time you had a shoot. He shouldered his bag and jacket, wincing as his tensed muscles were stretched after some time and bounded out of the room. He trudged towards the door on the left, hearing muffled voices inside. Ken slung his jacket higher and knocked. After a muffled, 'come in' was heard he opened the door and took a step before being completely blown away by loud, excited murmurs of praise and awe from the crew inside.

Ken blinked, and followed the train of eyes and what he saw made HIM stare back in awe. Red and amethyst flashed against green. Ran was leaning against the green background, dressed in an open violet polo revealing a pale chest and black pants gingerly holding a rose between his fingers (1). He looked completely stunning; amethyst eyes that seemed questioning and lips curled into something people would consider seductiveness. His scarlet hair (particularly his ear tails) cascaded down on his shoulders in some sort of casual elegance that neither Ken's nor Youji's hair would ever be able to accomplish. How Ran could manage to look like that, even hours and hours of it, Ken could only imagine.

His thoughts were suddenly interrupted when he felt those intense orbs bore onto him, chocolate eyes snapping up to meet Ran's, whose brows were knitted for some reason. "Ok that's a wrap!" the photographer announced, and a murmur of praise erupted from the whole room. Ran walked over to the table where his bag was sitting and placed the rose there, carefully reaching up to button his open polo as, like what happened to Ken, all the crew went over to him to praise him. He answered them with a small flicker of a smile, and only then would you realize how long Ran had been posing. How professional.

"Hey" Ken approached him, dropping his bag beside the redhead's and started to jam inside it some of the scattered clothes Ran had modeled on.

"Hn" Ran answered, still preoccupied with buttoning his top. Ken sighed, he was used to the redhead's answer. He whipped his head around as the head photographer headed towards them. "You two the next shooting will be next week, I take it that your friend Omi cannot make it anytime this week so you four can take time to rest till then."

"Thank you" Ken couldn't hide the relief in his voice as the man turned to leave. Ran grunted and shouldered his bag, then glanced at Ken one eyebrow arching a little. Ken shifted, he always felt a little queasy whenever Ran would look at him, and he was lost for words at the moment.

"Dinner?"

Ken's brown eyes shot up at this words, ok, word. Ran was actually asking to go for dinner and not head back as he usually does? It's a miracle.

"Erm, sure I'm starving"

The two of them made their way towards the close restaurants of the building. Once they agreed on where to eat they settled down on the table and asked for the waiter.

"What do you want?" Ran suddenly asked out of the blue, almost making Ken choke on his water. Fujimiya Ran actually spoke four words, add in the fact that he's asking what Ken wants; it's practically twilight zone. Ran had raised at eyebrow at him again, clearly impatient. Not one to rub the sudden actions of the redhead Ken blurted out what he wanted to eat and the waiter stalked off.

Until their food arrived Ran didn't utter a single word, but he listened intently at Ken who went on to rant about how much of a cramp he had from posing too long. Ran snickered inside, mentally thinking to offer the brunette a massage later. When these thoughts came to him he resisted the urge to kick himself, what the hell is he thinking about?!

Ken couldn't stop himself from ranting, and it felt like talking to the wall, with all honesty, but he had to so he would have to do something other that stare at the beautiful redhead, drown at those intense purple eyes that would surely make him blush like mad. A few weeks ago some man arrived to their shop and offered them a job as image models. Ran had bluntly answered no right then and there but when they heard of how much money they'll be earning the four had given another thought about it.

"... so then my ass hurt like hell and my whole body was aching by the time I came inside your studio and when I saw you I thought that you looked beautiful even though-"

Ken suddenly stopped and threw a hand on his mouth. What the damn did he just say?! He blushed like crazy, looking up at Ran who was watching him with a blank gaze, which made him blush even harder. Man what an idiot he felt like.

The next minutes flowed by in silence. Ran glancing up every now and then at the brunette whom had his head lowered. He couldn't help snickering at the words the brunette had accidentally blurted out. He doesn't really understand but it felt good that Ken praised him, and he wondered how Ken looks like during his photo shoot.

---

"Ken... KEN!!"

Ken groggily woke up; sunlight streaming through the window and sending lightning bolts coursing through his eyes. Reluctantly his chocolate colored eyes fell open as he struggled to get his brain to kick into action. Aya... Aya was calling him. Normally he'll sleep through whoever was calling him that early in the morning, but it seemed his body wanted to react to that deep voice he don't normally hear, so before he knew it he was standing on the corridor facing a disgruntled redhead.

"Phone" Ran muttered. His shoved the phone towards Ken and made his way downstairs.

_Don't go damn it Aya!_ His thoughts screamed, but no words came out of his mouth. He felt a surge of disappointment because of some reason. _Because I wished Aya was calling me because he wants to tell me that-? Heh, yeah like that'll ever happen._

"Hello?" Ken muttered on the phone, still a little frustrated. He trudged back inside his room, sleep making his mind go blank.

"Hidaka Ken am I right?"

Ken shifted the phone to his other ear. "Yeah and who might this be?"

"Yes well I'm one of the affiliates of the photography company you and your friends are working on, and I've come to admire you above all the four. So I'll cut to the chase, are you free this afternoon?"

"This afternoon?" Ken slowly asked, trying his best not to yawn. "Yeah I think so"

"Drop by this building, then" The man on the other line instructed. Ken took hold of a pen on his bedside table and half-sleepy, wrote the address on his palm. "fine?"

"Ok" Ken answered, stifling a yawn as he put down the phone on the table and landed on his bed. After being curled for a few minutes he suddenly bolted upright with a start.

_What the hell did I got myself into?!_

_---_

Ken checked and rechecked the address on his palm. He was feeling a bit nervous. The building he was sent to was giving him a shrewd feeling.

_Quite old for a photography studio if you ask me..._ he thought to himself, but he shoved this feeling off, reminding himself why he had decided to come there after all. He and Ran had a heated argument why Ken had said Ok to some person he wasn't even sure off and Ken, who wanted not to lose to ice prince shot back that Ran must have been jealous. That did it for the redhead, muttered 'I don't damn care what happens to you!' and bounded out. If it wasn't such a bad situation Ken would have fainted that Ran had said 8 words to him in one opening of mouth. Youji had decided to stay out of it and went up to Omi's room to offer the blue-eyed a massage.

Ken hesitated, hand upon the cold door handle. He gulped, thoughts racing and reminding himself that Aya disapproved to this. And yet, the redhead had always had his way and Ken was sick of it. Before he could touch the handle it opened and a tall muscular man eyed him from head to toe.

"You're late"

"Sorry" Ken mumbled as he went in, inside where five more men seated in different corners of the room. One of them had a camera in hand and in one side there was a stool. Only that and the room were empty.

"Change to this" one man tossed a top and shorts to Ken, and he took it, feeling that strange feeling again inside of him that something wrong was going to happen.

---

Ran practically took large strides; pushing people away every now and then in his desperate search. He had yelled at the brunette to stay, but he should have known better that the stubborn brunette would not do so. So now after minutes of raging, frustration and fuming he finally grabbed his cloak and katana and went in search for Ken in fits of worry that he wasn't able to push behind his mind.

_Oh Gods just make sure he'll be fine._

_---_

Of all the things to forget to bring, it has to be his weapon. Ken glared at the five men who towered at him, feeling helpless and shouldering a broken arm. One of them had locked the door, the other had yielded a whip, one a knife and it looks like this had all been planned to be fool proof. Ken had put up a struggle ofcourse, but one is no match to five (2) armed men. He took a step back, and another, until his back hit the cold wall.

"No place to go now, is there you beautiful rat? Well then stop resisting and just do what we want." He smirked, and when Ken only answered with a deep scowl he grabbed as fistful of brown hair, jerking the head up to face him. "Now if you don't want to follow we might have to break you up and make sure to send you to your friends in teeny tiny pieces!"

Ken closed his eyes as not to face the ugly smirk the burly man was giving him.

_Aya..._ he couldn't stop himself from thinking about the redhead, _I'm sorry, if only I listened... I deserved this._

Hot tears formed in his eyes and he blinked them back.

_Please Aya... help me..._ he thought, mentally wishing with all his mind, heart and soul that Aya would get his plea.

"What are you waiting for you little moron?! Strip!"

TBC

1 I based this one from a pic I saw of Ran, he looks utterly gorgeously yummy there!!

2 yes I do believe no matter how good a person is he cannot outwit five armed men.

- Nyaaa will Ran make it in time to help Ken?! Well you'll find out if you click that little review button on the lower left side, please! Rating may change depending on what happens next...

-westkitsune-


	2. Helpless

Disclaimers: -ahem- Weiss nor Ken nor Ran/Aya does not belong to me, but you never know after this life I might... (A girl can dream, can't she?)

**Warnings: ###mild points of rape and abuse, if you don't like that then please skip it or don't read thank you** (putting on the safe side since I am NOT going to change the rating... I just don't think it's R enough to be placed under that rating... ok, I might, just please tell me so I can change instead of having me banned right away) very much OOCness (especially Aya) and uhm, all those angst warnings stuff. Might be a death fic in the end.

_Kuroi, for introducing me to this pairing, thank you._

One More Pose

_It was always his smile that captivated me, the way those edges curve to an upward arc, and how those chocolate eyes would sparkle along with it. It was different from Youji's mischievous grin or Omi's genki one, just a small smile that would show his pleasure or happiness over something. The brunette always had that much of an impact on me. Youji and Omi as well, maybe, but Ken... And yet, when those lips curve into a frown, not in an annoyed way but when his lips would tremble, his whole body follows and tears threaten to fall... I couldn't help feeling helpless, yes, Fujimiya Ran had always been helpless, always,_

_That's why I don't want to love, or be loved... because..._

"Aya!"

Ran was interrupted from his angsty thoughts and paused in mid step as he craned his neck to see a tall red haired woman coming out of a white car.

"Manx..." Ran muttered, stashing his katana by his side. The woman made her way towards the redhead, and handed him a piece of paper.

"What's this?" Ran growled as his amethyst eyes ran over the white paper. He wasn't really reading it that much, his thoughts were much too occupied by thoughts of his rebellious comrade.

"I've fixed everything, the four of you have different names to be shown to the public. Now since all that is arranged Kritiker had found a result from our research about the target, he's, or rather, they were going at the photo shoot to get their victims every month, that's by next week. The only problem we have now is-"

"Aya!"

The two redheads turned their head to see a bubbly brown-haired girl make her way towards them. Sakura gave Manx a small frown, and grinned childishly at Ran.

_Why do people have to arrive at such a bad time, _Ran thought _just when I'm utterly worried about-_

"Ne, Aya," she chuckles, clinging on to the stoic man's arm. "There's this movie premier of the new romance movie, let's go see it, ne? Onegai!" Sakura murmured looking all Aya-chan like with those big pleading eyes.

Aya-chan... 

"Aa, ok..." a small flicker of a smile appeared on the redhead's face. He couldn't resist it, couldn't even say no. It felt like he was saying no to his very own sister. Ran felt a little bad at making Sakura like a makeshift for Aya-chan, but he just can't help feeling that way, after all that was the reason he cared for the girl.

Sakura beamed up at him and started dragging him away, grinning softly as Ran hesitantly followed her, he knew he had something important to do but his mixed up mind can't seem to function properly.

"Wait Aya!" Manx called out to him but the Ran was already several gaps ahead. Not one to cause a commotion her brows furrowed in her trademark frown after the redhead. She shook her head, knowing Aya wouldn't anyway give a damn about Ken's sensitive past to be publicized.

-----

Night had already fallen and Ran was starting to feel both bored and a little annoyed. It wasn't really what they watched; it was the fact that Sakura was window-shopping, and something a guy like Aya would never stand. The movie was sappy and mushy and he doesn't really give a damn about the endless twists and useless separations of the two lead characters. There was only one thing that got stuck in his mind during the duration of the movie, when the lead male had said,

_It was always your presence that pleases me. Fate had been the one to bring us together, and yet our past, present and future is tearing us apart. Maybe it would also be fate to decide our destiny. If ever heaven forbid us to be together, then maybe in the next world, we will._

One might think that the ice-prince was finally melting, maybe, maybe not. But one thing was for sure; he had a funny feeling in the pit of his stomach, a fluttery feeling when those words were said, and something about infinite chocolate beauty...

"Ne Aya, you seem so distracted today..."

Ran snapped out of his reverie and gave the younger girl a small smile. "Aa, it's nothing" he announced and looked up at the starlit sky.

While they were walking around Ran saw something that caught his eyes. A silver-chained small Yin and Yang necklace that was split in the middle. Suddenly the brunette's voice floated through his mind, something the brunette had revealed during one of his mindless rants and chants that time after they had dinner. The two were on their way back to their apartments and as they passed by a bench where a couple sat Ran couldn't help but see the jealousy in those brown eyes.

_They seemed nice, you know, those heart-shaped necklace lovers wear that's torn in half and one carries part of the other. It would be really nice if I could share something like that with someone someday..._

Ran felt a flicker of a smile, and before he knew it he had made his way inside the shop, with Sakura blinking back at him as she followed the redhead. Ran pointed at the small necklace and asked how much it was. Sakura looked at the small insignia; curious at whom Ran was giving it to.

"Who is it for?"

"Someone important to me..." Ran muttered after giving the clerk his payment and shoved it to his pocket, sighed and started walking back.

She smiled, thinking that he must have wanted to give the other necklace to his sister. Happily walking besides Ran she sighed and stepped much closer; not knowing the real one the redhead cared about...

Ran was confused, he had spent his precious money on some damn necklace just to please his friend?! He must be going crazy. He could now imagine the soccer player's reaction, mortified, embarrassed or happy. Ran wished for the latter. On second thought, he might never even have the courage to hand it to the brunette. Ran was never a coward, but when it comes to these things... still mortified was better than a frown... when those brown eyes looked sad or helplessly despaired. Frowning himself the redhead fumbled with his coat, and suddenly froze.

His katana. He had his katana with him all that time inside his coat. All of a sudden something crashed to his mind. The redhead felt his heart beat faster as he realized why the damn he had ran all the way out in haste.

_Oh God... Ken!_ His mind screamed and suddenly he turned on his heels and tore away

"Aya!" Sakura, shocked called out to him in fright, but Ran didn't seem to hear.

_Kami-sama... what have I done?!_

_# --- #_

He's used to pain... it was part of the whole load he accepted when he accepted to become an assassin. Yet, pain was nothing compared to this. _Pain is part of everything... but this... this is suffering..._

Chained on rough steel shackles, the sound of the whip going back from its first miss. The shock of it biting into tanned skin, and the knowledge that it was only the first blow, as wave after wave of wave of utter despair threatened to shatter whatever resolve the brunette has left. Ken, shattered, destroyed from the pains. Minutes passed, which seemed like an eternity as rhythmic sounds continued it's damaging.

Click Click 

Flashes of light erupted like death strokes, filling the air as lens focused closer and farther from the image of the toned muscular tanned body laid bare chained by the ceiling, with a disgusting hand caressing that beaten figure, stroking roughly against already wounded skin. All of a sudden...

His chastity was ripped away from him, in the cruelest way he could ever imagine. Not just once... nor twice... warm crimson liquid trail down in abundance... breaking inside and out sending screaming agony through his brain through his wounded soul, shattering him inside...

# --- #

Hours turned to days, and Kritiker and the three men still had no news. Their worry was now amounting to a state of shock. Youji never left Koneko, Omi wouldn't eat until forced to, and Ran... Though went unseen he had been the most damaged of the three.

In all honesty, Ran was afraid. For the first time in several years, icy Aya felt an indescribable surge of fear... fear of not being able to say to the person you love what you truly feel before that person is gone for good and you can't do anything about it anymore. He didn't really believe it would ever happen, because he thought he lost too much to loose some more, but fate was cruel to him.

It was only two days after Ken went missing did the three had a clue on the brunette's whereabouts.

"AYA!!!"

Ran's head whipped up from cooking in the kitchen as his name was screamed. Crashing to the room came Youji, followed by Omi who has a confused and tired look on his once genki face. Ran's brows furrowed, Youji's face was white and the lanky blonde was shaking in rage. The redhead raised an eyebrow at Youji, who shoved an envelope on Ran's arms and ushered a worried Omi out of the kitchen, murmuring that it was nothing and that it was their leader's business. Confused as he was left alone Ran pulled at the contents and his eyes widened in shock, almost loosing his grip on the object. Gripping it tightly in his hand he felt his heart shatter. It was a photograph... a photograph of...

Aya. Isn't this such a sight? It's just day 2 oh fearless leader, and he's already broken. Wonder who'll be next? The small blonde or the annoying eldest? This may be the last chance you'll ever see your teammate before we break him to pieces. Aw.. Didn't you know we only want you? Go downtown to the abandoned building #15 by sundown and we might think about it. Be there alone. 

Ran was thunderstruck, fuming and despaired all at the same time; he was the target all along. Ran felt his anger surge through every vein in his body, knowing it was his fault all this things happened to the brunette. Ran looks at the pictures of Ken, crumpling it in his hands, so hard that he drew blood, which stained the bloody pictures of the man who had grown so important in his life.

He remembered that day Ken went missing, he had seen hurt in those chocolate eyes when he handed the brunette the phone, he didn't even know how that day would end, didn't expect... and now... just because of a wrong decision on both him and the brunette, Ken was on the verge of breaking, or was he already broken? The redhead was so deep in thoughts that didn't notice the emerald eyes that appeared by the doorway and was watching him sadly.

"What will you do, Aya?" Youji asked, choking out the words of his fear and concern. Aya didn't look up, violet eyes veiled by his long crimson bangs. "I'll go alone... just tell Manx I have a lead on Ken's whereabouts..." Aya muttered as he left the kitchen to go to his room, cooking forgotten.

_Just let him still be alive and whole enough for me to save him..._ Ran closed his eyes and begged once more, hand unconsciously wrapping around the small necklace he had bought.

-----

Aya arrived earlier than the designated time... he scowled at the burly men who met with him and took him deeper inside the deserted place. He himself knew that the head of this group against him and Kritiker was not present there; they would have to have brains to be able to subdue Ken so easily.

"Ah, the leader came, eh?"

Ran only scowled. "Where is he?" he growled with pure anger in his deep voice.

"So impatient, aren't we?" answered the bastard of a voice which was lurking in the shadows, away from the redhead's view. "How about a compromise, Aya, I believe?"

Ran scowled harder, but didn't say anything to indicate that he his listening. A part of the redhead wanted to draw out his katana to kill all of them right then and there, which was clearly visible on it's sheath by his side.

"Ah, I wouldn't think of fighting if I were you, Mr. Aya, or you might regret it... as you know, our group wants you, such punishment must be given to the reason of our friend's death. We give you a choice, give in and we'll free the brunette, or fight whilst one of the men here would call to have Ken assassinated."

Ran's brows furrowed, glare evident in his amethyst eyes. He weighed his chances, if he gave in to them, he won't be sure if they'll release Ken anyway. If he refused and fought them, the chances of one being able to contact the other captors of the brunette to have him killed was up to 80, and that was a risk he wasn't willing to take, regarding that there are almost about hundreds of men there. He absolutely would not take any move that might make Ken hurt even more than he already is.

What to do?... 

TBC

WK: Ok that was pretty short, and pretty sick... -pukes- I hope I didn't bore you guys to death –shakes head-. I sort of rushed this one too –sighs-. Boy I'm so evil. –sighs again- I honestly do not like Sakura that much –cringe- don't get mad at me, RanSakura/Sakura fans out there, it's just that she's always tagging to Ran and, uh, she's a threat to RanKen pairing –being paranoid-. –Gets out shotgun and shoots all those who hurt Ken- SHINE!... Your opinions would be gladly accepted, especially constructive criticisms. Flames will only be laughed at; it will only show that you didn't read the warning. This chapter is pretty short so I promise to make the next one as long as I can to make up for it.

Preview: Aya had to make a decision whether to sacrifice himself for Ken with no assurances of the brunette's release; or fight and risk Ken's life, like a life or death decision. If you were in Aya's shoes, what would you do? (this question is meant to help me with the next chappie lol)

- westkitsune –


End file.
